COOKERY guru Delia Smith has hailed Boro's matchday catering as the best she has ever tasted at a football club.

Howard Archer and his hard-working team of chefs received the ultimate accolade when Britain's favourite cookery writer sampled the delights of a Riverside lunch with the visit of Norwich City shortly after Christmas.

Delia and husband Michael Wyn Jones are joint majority shareholders of the Canaries and were extremely complimentary about the club's catering when they made their first visit to the stadium on December 28.

She insisted on taking a tour of the kitchens to congratulate the Boro cooks on their boardroom lunch.

Head chef Howard Archer was delighted when Delia, whose books have sold millions, signed the matchday menu with warm words of praise for the kitchen staff. "Thank you so much for our delicious lunch - best in a football club ever!" she wrote.

She was so impressed she invited Boro's chefs to view her acclaimed catering operation at Carrow Road.

"She was absolutely wonderful," says Howard. "We're all big Delia fans and have many of her books on our kitchen shelves.

"We didn't lay on a special menu for her, but we pride ourselves on the standard of our food. It was a huge honour when she asked to look behind the scenes and a day we will remember for a long time."

The sumptuous boardroom menu began with champagne and canapés followed by a four-course lunch with coffee. Main courses included braised lamb knuckle tagine, corn-fed chicken supreme, mild mustard roast sirloin and goat's cheese crostini.

"We didn't use any Delia recipes on the day although I have often turned to her dishes for inspiration," says Howard. "I like the way she keeps things simple, yet extremely tasty.

"She was so impressed she invited us down to Carrow Road to see how her kitchen team do things. They have a very high reputation and we will definitely take up the offer when we play at Norwich next weekend."

Howard is joined in the Boro kitchens by Philip Jaegger, John Philips, Paul Robinson, Sam Hughes, David Mallett, Ellen Boyes and the team of matchday chefs.

Teessiders, of course, have known for years about the quality of Boro's catering. Sunday lunches at the Riverside are booked out weeks in advance and the stadium remains a number-one choice for conferences, wedding receptions and parties.

FIND out about all the big transfer news FIRST during the transfer window by signing up for the one and only Official Boro SMS Service. We'll send the important developments direct to your mobile for just 25p per message.